


The Simple Things In Life

by Wolf_Keryon7



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Discord: Bellamione Cult, F/F, Yule Ball (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-19 15:00:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22246207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolf_Keryon7/pseuds/Wolf_Keryon7
Summary: A night patrolling the corridors takes a very strange turn and Hermione isn't sure how she feels about it all.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Bellatrix Black Lestrange
Comments: 26
Kudos: 217





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is just a random idea that popped into my head, I don't know if I'm going to continue it, but I guess I'll see if inspiration strikes.
> 
> For context, the first war hasn't happened, there is no voldemort, and Bellatrix is the same age as the 'golden trio'.
> 
> Hopefully it's not too bad, and you enjoy.

Being a prefect was not all it was cracked up to be. In fact, Hermione thought, it might just have been the worst thing to have happened to her this year. 

Not only was she stuck with Ronald bloody Weasley as the Gryffindor fifth year male prefect, they'd also been paired with the Slytherin fifth year prefects for night rounds all term. 

Which was how she found herself shuffling down the second floor transfiguration corridor at 3am, with a very grumpy, half asleep Slytherin witch. 

It wouldn't have been so bad, if the witch in question hadn't been Bellatrix Black. Known for her short temper, sharp tongue and sociopathic lack of compassion for anyone that wasn't named Black, she was far from what Hermione believed a prefect should be. 

Unfortunately, and despite the numerous letters she'd written in complaint, the decision was final and nothing was to be done. For the rest of term at least, she would be stuck with the other witch. 

In truth, Hermione had never had a particularly bad relationship with Bellatrix, rather there existed a healthy level of competition between them. Every year they would eagerly await the news that they had finally surpassed the other and claimed the top spot; the moniker 'brightest witch of her age' the ultimate prize, and neither willing to concede. 

Yet, every year, they would be informed of their identical marks and grades, and every year, the grudging respect between them would grow. 

After five years, Hermione liked to believe they were at least friendly, though certainly not friends. 

In any case, the promotion from 'mud-blood' to 'Granger' could definitely be counted as a win, and whether it was down to that grudging respect or her impassioned speech last year, she didn't care, Hermione was just happy the dark witch had stopped snapping that horrid slur at her. 

She was about to ask Bellatrix about the latest potions essay, given they had recently been paired in that class also, when the squeaking of hinges echoed down the corridor. Chocolate orbs rolled in frustration when she caught sight of a black robe hurrying into the broom cupboard ahead of them.

She cast a glance to the witch beside her, internally sighing at the look of absolute boredom lining her face. 

"Well, come on. We'll have to put a stop to whatever's going on."

Black eyes snapped up to lock on hers and the hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up. A shiver ripped down her spine, and her heart skipped a beat or two but she steeled her expression and glared right back. 

The shorter witch grumbled and muttered under her breath as she stalked toward the cupboard. Even with her arms crossed and features marred in a frown, Bellatrix still exuded grace and power. Her steps were sure and quick, a mass of wild black curls bouncing down her back. 

Hermione trailed behind her, absently twirling her wand between her fingers as she pondered her bad luck.

A small fist emerged from the depths of Bellatrix's cloak to knock harshly against the door, an illusion of formality as she rips it open moments later, wand tapping her chin and haughty gaze firmly affixed. 

"I suggest you vacate the area, or I'll be forced to he-" a sharp elbow to the ribs stops her short and fiery black eyes turn to Hermione, an onyx eyebrow raised. 

Hermione scowled back, her fist clenching around her wand so hard her knuckles turn white, "Back to your common rooms, or it's detention."

Her eyes stay locked on Bellatrix, even as the two fourth year Hufflepuffs scurry past them towards the main staircase; hopefully, to bed. 

The smaller witch had scarcely drawn breathe, fingers gripping her wand and magic cracking through her hair. For a moment, Hermione felt genuine fear of Bellatrix for the first time since second year, but the moment passed and soon the witch had adopted her bored, grumpy expression. 

Her wand slipped back into the inky blackness of her curls and she turned away, stomping down the corridor. She stepped onto the staircase to the next level and paused, throwing a scorching look over her shoulder and smirking, "You coming, Granger?" 

Hermione blinked once, twice, and shook her head quickly as she jogged toward the Slytherin. She would never understand this girl. 

The third floor was empty and silent, classrooms abandoned and dark, and Bellatrix stomped along next to Hermione, scowling and muttering about "stupid responsibilities" and "wasted time". 

They advanced to the fourth floor and started the arduous task of checking the classrooms and broom cupboards for wayward students. 

Long used to the passive-aggression of her partner, Hermione simply ignored her in favor of mentally revising the DADA homework, she wasn't completely satisfied with her closing statement and was trying to reword it when a door slammed a little ways down from them. 

A noise that sounded suspiciously like a yelp echoed down the corridor and Hermione fought down a blush when Bellatrix whirled to face her, a mock sympathetic pout pulling at her lips. 

"Aww, did the big noise scare you Granger? Was it too much for your sensitive little mud…muggleborn ears?" a red tint shone in Bellatrix's porcelain cheeks at her stutter, but Hermione barely noticed. 

All of her attention was fixed on a door barely a dozen metres away. The corridor lay bare and silent before them, but something had made that noise, and given her usual luck she wasn't eager to find out what. 

Breathing deeply, she cast a long look toward Bellatrix, who now stood silent beside her, observing her the way one would a cornered animal. Curious, apprehensive, wary. 

It was then she realized the white knuckle grip she had of her wand and the magic crackling in her wild, bushy hair. Shaking herself slightly, she nodded toward the door and advanced slowly. 

They surrounded the door and tugged it open, wands raised and stances tense, but the room stood empty, barely big enough to be called a room and devoid of anything but a large wooden desk with burn marks covering its surface. 

Hermione sighed in relief, the tension bleeding out of her shoulders as her arm dropped. She stepped further into the small room, and absently flicked her wand to light the sconces on the walls, but everything remained the same and the last of her paranoia settled. 

"Must've been Peeves."

The words, spoken so close to her ear, made her jump for the second time in a minute, but the comforting presence of Bellatrix's familiar magic calmed her racing heart. 

Turning to face the other witch, Hermione found her breath catching at their close proximity, but did her best to ignore the ever so tempting sight of ruby red lips and the intoxicating scent of orchids. 

"Must have."

The words shattered in the silence that now lay between them, stretching for miles where there was barely inches. Hermione could feel Bellatrix's breath against her neck, the three inches difference in their height never before so obvious. 

Inky black eyes gazed up at her, the obsidian depths drawing Hermione in and allowing no escape. 

Everything was all at once too hot and too cold, but the Gryffindor witch could do nothing, rooted as she was to the spot before Bellatrix. A pink tongue darted out to wet those sinful lips and Hermione felt her knees weaken. 

Neither girl noticed the shadow rapidly approaching the door, so caught up in each other. 

From there it all seemed to happen in both slow-motion and at warp-speed. 

Bellatrix closed the distance between them, a pale, delicate hand emerging from the depths of her cloak to cup the side of Hermione's face. 

Heart pounding, Hermione closed her eyes, in anticipation or fear she wasn't sure. Lips brushed against hers, so softly she might have imagined it, and her head span. 

Time stopped as she was suddenly hyper focused on the shorter witch, the heat of their bodies pressed so closely together, the encompassing aroma of orchids and rain and something distinctly dark, the touch of slim fingers against her cheek. 

And with an almighty crash it was over, the two jumping apart as though they'd been burned. 

Hermione peered searchingly toward the Slytherin, and told herself in didn't matter when she refused to look her in the eye. 

Cackles bounced down the corridors towards them, confirming their suspicions that it had been Peeves to lure them here.

Her mouth opened, but no sound escaped, and she watched in thinly veiled confusion and hurt as Bellatrix strode from the room without so much as a backwards glance. 

Breathing deeply to center herself, Hermione gathered her thoughts and feelings from the last five minutes and shoved them deep down, into a little box at the back of mind. 

The corridor was deserted when she got there, and taking that as her queue she quickly turned to the left and sped towards the Gryffindor common room, entirely missing the large black cat lurking in the shadows behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote another chapter! There's like, no dialogue in this at all, which is v weird for me, but the next chapter will probs be pretty dialogue heavy so there's that I guess.
> 
> I'd like to thank everyone who left a comment, and basically the whole Bellamione Cult Discord server for being massive inspirations and motivations to write, y'all are awesome. 
> 
> This is not beta'd or edited, so I'm sorry for any mistakes! As a positive though, the next chapter will be out pretty quickly.

The next morning dawned bright and grey, and Hermione gave up any hope of sleep. Rising with a frustrated sigh, she quickly collected her robes and toiletries and fled her dorm for the relaxing solitude of the prefects bathroom. 

All night she had tossed and turned, a million thoughts and questions rushing around her head. She'd considered talking to Bellatrix multiple times, but dismissed the thought out of hand each time. 

Surely the Slytherin would deny it had ever even happened? Surely she would be ridiculed and humiliated for even suggesting such a thing? 

But it had happened, and worse (better?) yet, Bellatrix had been the one to initiate! 

Hermione shook the thought from her head, deciding to simply go about her day and que sera, sera. 

She rounded the corner to the prefects bathroom, and immediately came face to face with Bellatrix. They'd both frozen completely, the shorter witch with one foot still hovering awkwardly in the air. 

The silence between them stretched, growing tense and awkward as each girl remained unspeaking and unmoving. 

Hermione took the brief moment of relative calm to sweep her gaze over the witch, drinking in the sight of loose, damp curls that tumbled over slim shoulders and soft features, not yet marred by the frustrations of the day. 

A stray bead of water fell from her hairline, trailing slowly over a sharp cheekbone and sharper yet jawline. Chocolate eyes tracked it diligently, and Hermione unconsciously liked her lips as it slipped down her neck. 

It was only once it disappeared beneath the collar of Bellatrix's school shirt that the Gryffindor realised her actions, snapping her eyes up as heat flushed her face. 

If Bellatrix had noticed her wandering gaze, she didn't let it show. Her own eyes were wide and unblinking, lips parted slightly as she struggled to form words. 

What felt like hours, but had probably only been a few seconds passed before the Slytherin seemingly grew tired of their pseudo standoff, huffing irritably and throwing her hands in the air. 

It seemed a little dramatic to Hermione, but she supposed the situation did warrant it, ridiculous as it was, and Bellatrix had always had a flare for the dramatic. 

A smirk tugged at her lips at the thought, and it was only quick thinking and a lot of self control that kept her from laughing outright. She doubted Bellatrix would take that well at all. 

Then again, the witch had returned to staring at her in complete silence, stood so still Hermione wondered if she were even breathing. 

Heaving an internal sigh, and gathering every scrap of Gryffindor courage she could, she bit the bullet and broke the silence, "Good morning, Bellatrix."

A thin black eyebrow quirked, almost mockingly, but Hermione received no other indication that the other witch had even heard her. 

She stayed a few more moments, staring at the Slytherin in confusion and no small amount of concern, before shrugging and stepping swiftly around her. She had things to do this morning that did not include… Whatever that had been. 

She'd barely made it two steps before her wrist was caught in a soft grasp, tugging her slightly to turn back toward Bellatrix. Her eyes locked onto the sight of a pale porcelain hand against her own, much tanner skin, long slim fingers wrapping around her wrist to hold it gently. 

Bellatrix snatched her hand back like she'd been burned and Hermione looked up swiftly, startled at the look of panic clouding obsidian eyes and the small frown pulling at full lips, much paler and softer without the usual coating of blood red lipstick. 

Those pale lips parted, a choked half sound falling from them before a strong jaw clenched and the witch spun away in a flurry of black, robes and hair, and practically sprinted down the corridor. 

Hermione stood transfixed for a second longer wondering what the hell had just happened. Pushing it aside for now, she stepped quickly into the luxurious bathroom and did her best to forget all about the infuriating, confusing witch. 

~~~~~

The day slipped by quickly, her classes barely holding her attention as she tried desperately to think of anything but Bellatrix Black, and failed spectacularly. 

Walking out of greenhouse four after Herbology, Hermione could have sworn she felt something brush her side, but a quick glance assured her there was nobody around so she brushed it off and continued her trek up to the castle. 

Venomous tentacula could be vicious, and it had taken a lot more energy than usual for her to avoid the lashing vines and sharp thorns as her attention kept wandering. All she wanted was a hot meal, a hotter shower, and her bed. 

It appeared fate was not on her side today however, as when she reached into her pocket for her wand to banish her heavy book bag to her room she was instead met with a torn piece of parchment. 

Panic gripped her, causing her heart to speed and her breathing to grow shallow and with trembling fingers she pulled the parchment from her pocket. 

'If you want your wand back, meet me tonight. Astronomy Tower, 11 o' clock, don't be late. BB'

Hermione read the words, and read them again, and then a third time to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. 

Bellatrix Black had taken her wand, and was now holding it hostage to force her into a meeting. 

Unbelievable. 

No, actually, this was entirely believable and in character for her. 

This was the witch who had at one time hidden (stolen) the Slytherin quidditch teams brooms until she was allowed to join, despite being a firstie. 

She'd extorted older students, and even teachers, into letting her have her way with casual mentions of supposed secrets, and even held a Hufflepuffs cat hostage for a week once in petty revenge for a prank jinx. 

Taking Hermione's wand, however absurd it would seem to anyone else, was par for the course with Bellatrix and Hermione reserved herself to the knowledge that at 11PM she would be on the Astronomy Tower. 

Que sera, sera indeed. 

Quietly seething the Gryffindor stomped off to the Great Hall, determined to have at least a hot meal and scalding shower before having to interact with the smirking menace, or hopefully anyone. 

She'd just settled at her house table, loading her plate with steaming vegetables and lamb, when electricity raced down her spine causing her to bolt upright. 

The perturbed glances of her housemates were easy to ignore, but the burning obsidian gaze of the witch directly across the hall from her was less so. 

Lips now stained her signature red and pulled into the cockiest smirk drew Hermione's eyes like a beacon, but she was quick to flick them back up to Bellatrix's own eyes, refusing to acknowledge the recurrent slip. 

She rolled her eyes at the delighted gleam in the Slytherins, raising an eyebrow challengingly and fixing her face into a scowl. The dark witch chuckled, her shoulders shaking with it though the sound was lost in the mass of chattering students. 

When Hermione's frown deepened she lowered her shoulders in a ridiculous fashion to emphasise what was surely a great sigh, reaching into the depths of her cloak and withdrawing Hermione's own wand. 

She tapped the long, delicate stick against the table twice, and Hermione clenched her jaw so hard she felt her teeth groan. 

A smug grin lit up Bellatrix's face, momentarily making the Gryffindor forget her anger completely as she marvelled at her beauty and tried futilely to catch her breath. 

Her face must have revealed more than she thought as the smug grin grew wider, and with a swift flick and jab, Bellatrix expertly sent a spell soaring through the throngs of students. 

The pale amber light hit her in the face before she could react, but she was surprised, and embarrassed, to feel her chin move up as her mouth closed. 

Face now burning and appetite gone the brunette sprang to her feet and rushed out of the Hall, eager to be as far away from the infuriating, confusing, breathtaking witch as she could be. 

~~~~~

Time passed excruciatingly slowly as Hermione paced the length of the common room, eyes flicking to the grandfather clock that stood in the corner every few seconds, praying that it would somehow be 11 o'clock, despite the sun still fighting to light the sky outside. 

Harry had made as if to approach her upon entering the common room, but whether it was her quick strides back and forth or her piercing glare, he and everyone else had instead opted to simply avoid that side of the room entirely. 

She'd toyed with the idea of doing her homework, after a night of patrolling the corridors and an entirely unproductive day, it was starting to pile up, but quickly abandoned the thought. 

Her magic cracked through her hair and danced at her fingertips, emotions running so high she couldn't even name them right now.

Certainly there had been anger, and embarrassment, and even desire, but she'd been alone with her thoughts too long and it had all evolved into one hot, writhing feeling in her chest. 

Her limbs were electrified, fingers tapping and shoulders tensing as she paced up and down, uncaring or unaware of the magic that flooded the room. 

She had no idea what to expect when she met Bellatrix later, and though she doubted the other witch would harm her, the idea of showing up without her wand terrified her somewhat. 

Gryffindor courage be damned, she would have been scared even with her wand. Nothing good could come of this surely. 

The seconds and minutes passed painfully, but finally it reached a quarter too and she abandoned the track she was wearing into the carpet, storming out of the common room. 

More than one voice called after her with questions of where she was going, and if she was okay. She ignored them all, striding along the corridors and slipping through secret passages until she came to the base of the twisting stairs that would lead to the Astronomy Tower. 

It was as if all the energy had been sapped from her body as she looked up those steps, her legs leaden and heavy and her mouth strangely dry. 

The odd sensations left her looking around for dementors, her experiences with them in her third year the only other time she could remember feeling so lethargic and defeated. 

Thankfully, none stalked the castle this year, meaning it was her own nerves and anxiety causing the sinking feeling in her stomach and the pounding of her heart. 

Hermione shook herself sharply, running a hand through her wild hair as she took a few deep breaths. 

It was just Bellatrix. 

The same Bellatrix she'd argued for twenty minutes with over Gamps Law in transfiguration last week. 

The same Bellatrix who whispered mocking comments from the desk behind her during History of Magic, and smirked at her whenever she answered a question first. 

The same Bellatrix who kissed her last night. 

With that final thought to spur her on, Hermione squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and stepped onto the stairs to start her ascent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is! Mini cliffhanger, cause apparently I'm incapable of ending a chapter any other way atm. For anyone reading my Legacies fic, I'm sorry but this fic has caught my muse for now.
> 
> Let me know what you thought, all comments and criticisms welcome! As always, I hope you enjoyed this, and I've not bored anyone to death just yet.
> 
> Thanks, WK7


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a hot second, apparently my muse is a fickle being who likes to pop in and out of my life with no warning or notice, hence this is coming to you at 4am.
> 
> This chapter actually got away from me a bit, I did not plan for the majority of it, it was supposed to go a fair bit differently but this is what you're getting so...
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left a comment/Kudos, y'all are keeping me going. Enjoy! (Hopefully)

Hermione’s chest grew tighter and tighter the higher she climbed. All those years living as a muggle, completely oblivious to the wonders of magic, and yet the moment she was without her wand anxiety began to eat at her.

Bellatrix Black was a notoriously terrifying witch. Her family name alone struck fear into most mages, but the Gryffindor knew, Black or not, Bellatrix was one witch you definitely didn’t want to cross.

And here she was, middle of the night, no wand, walking into an entirely uncontrollable, unpredictable situation and praying to every deity she could name that it was all just a harmless prank meant to grab her attention and not anything malicious.

The heavy wooden door at the top of the tower stairs came into view and Hermione froze, fingertips just barely grazing the rough wood. She needed her wand, there was no way she’d get through lessons tomorrow without it.

On the other hand, she could fake an illness, skip all of her classes, and just wait for an opportunity to corner Black?

No. 

No, she needed to do this. Gryffindors forward, or whatever nonsense it was they were always going on about.

She took a deep breath, steeled her spine and started to push the incredibly heavy door open.

“It’s about time, I thought we’d be standing out here all night.” 

The voice was so sudden and unexpected that Hermione yelped, startled, and spun to face the person who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere behind her.

Hand clutching her chest to sooth her racing heart and fist clenched uncomfortably tightly she released her strongest glare toward the smirking Slytherin slouched on a wall behind her.

“A bit of warning might have been nice. Honestly, don’t you make noise when you move?!” the words rushed out from between clenched teeth, and if they shook slightly from the fright both girls chose to ignore this.

One thin charcoal eyebrow raised in amusement, but the other witch didn’t bother to respond, instead flicking her wand irritatingly to open the door and striding past the still slightly shaky brunette.

Hermione waited a few more moments before following, taking a couple deep breathes and rubbing the spot over her heart, mentally cussing out the shorter girl.

Turning around stole her breath all over again however, the walls of the astronomy tower had been spelled clear, leaving the sprawling grounds and stretches of scottish highland easily visible by the light of the full moon.

The Black Lake seemed to glow below them, the Forbidden Forest swayed in a gentle breeze, dark and mysteriously beautiful as always. 

Thousands of stars lit up the sky above them, and as Hermione looked toward Bellatrix, she noticed that this was where her attention seemed to be drawn.

The Slytherin looked so young, so fragile, as she stood at the edges of the room, face upturned to the sky. Her eyes reflected the moon so deeply that they almost shone white, and Hermione felt her heart begin to race for entirely new reasons.

Approaching the other witch had never been something she’d considered before, typically choosing to avoid the whole of her house the majority of the time, if only to spare herself the bother, but in this moment there was an almost physical force drawing her towards the shorter woman.

She was beside the Slytherin before she’d realised she was moving, eyes glued to the perfect, porcelain face she’d never before seen display so much emotion. The moment was almost too pure to ruin, but Hermione needed her wand and Bellatrix clearly wasn’t planning on handing it over anytime soon.

“So… What’s up, Black?”

“Huh?” large, dark eyes blinked up at her in a daze, her brow furrowed in the cutest way, and Hermione had to bite her lip to stop the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“You asked me to come here, stole my wand even, so what do you want?” annoyance bled through the words, but the dark witch didn’t so much as flinch.

Silence stretched between them, tense and fraught with unvoiced questions. 

Bellatrix opened her mouth to speak, closed it with a click and ran a frustrated hand through her hair. Spinning on the spot she began to walk around the small room in a way eerily reminiscent of Hermione’s earlier pacing, sharp white teeth abusing the soft, red stained flesh of her bottom lip.

Something akin to concern shot through Hermione, but she squashed it quickly, crossing her arms and sighing loudly. Nothing was ever easy with the Slytherin, so why had she expected this to go any differently.

“Bellatrix, in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re breaking curfew, and I kind of-” the rest of her words were cut off by the incredibly soft lips suddenly pressed to hers. 

Bellatrix Black was kissing her. Again.

So this was a thing now apparently.

Hermione had initially frozen at the contact, but soon found herself sinking into it. Delicate hands ran along her throat, skimmed her jaw and sank into her hair, nails scratching lightly at the baby hairs that grew at the base of her skull.

She sucked a sharp breath in through her nose, electricity running along her spine and her heart beating wildly in her chest.

They broke apart slowly, eyes staying shut for a long moment after. When Hermione did open her eyes she was met with the wide, terrified gaze of the dark witch, the hands still cradling her head trembling noticeably.

She reached out to trace the contours of a sharp cheekbone, honey eyes following her fingers as they danced across ivory skin. Glancing up she caught the soft look in the Slytherins eyes, but the witch looked away just as quickly, stepping back and clearing her throat, hands leaving Hermione and making her ache.

“Bellatrix…” her voice broke around the other witches' names, but she ignored it and stepped forward, eyes searching, unsure and wanting.

Black curls bounced erratically as Bellatrix shook her head, stumbling back another few steps and fisting her hands into her hair, “I can’t, Granger. I can’t!” tears coated her voice, and as she met Hermione’s eyes the Gryffindor noticed them coating her cheeks too.

She took another step toward the distraught witch, her whole body aching with the pain so clearly written across the shorter woman's face, but stopped short at the flinch it caused.

Hermione wracked her brain for something to say, any way to help, but came up empty and could only stand and stare with a mounting feeling of uselessness when suddenly, in an almost blink and you’d miss it second, Bellatrix was fine.

Stoic expression firmly in place, cheeks dry and eyes hard, she walked proudly forward and pressed the stolen wand into the Gryffindors hand, hesitating for a breath to draw a a slim, pale finger over the bumps of Hermione’s knuckles, before pulling away and disappearing from the tower.

~~~~~

Sleep eluded her again, the memory of pillow soft lips tormenting her for the remainder of the night until eventually she gave up. Writing the Potions essay assigned a couple days ago by wand light was hell on her eyes but it distracted her long enough that when she looked up, finally done, it was morning and her dorm mates were just beginning to wake.

Dressing quickly and checking her bag twice she all but fled the room, overcome with the fear that somehow everyone would know what had happened last night. That somehow, everyone would know she’d kissed Bellatrix Black in the Astronomy Tower. 

That they’d know how much she longed to do it again.

Rushing through the tower quickly proved to be a bad idea when she collided heavily with something firm, hitting the floor painfully in a mess of sprawling limbs and loose parchment. 

Blinking owlishly down at the something firm she’d hit she blushed, scrambling to her feet messily and offering her hand to Angelina with a shaky smile and an apology on her lips.

The chaser grasped her hand and pulled herself up in one fluid motion, suddenly crowding Hermione and killing the sorry before it could be uttered. 

A wolfish grin split her face as Hermione had to crane her neck to look up at her, “Don’t worry about it Hermione, I was actually hoping to run into you.”

Shock passed over her face, to be quickly replaced with a curious frown, “You were?”

“Yeah, you ran out of here like the place was on fire last night, is everything okay?” genuine concern and affection practically dripped from the words and Hermione’s head span with it for a moment. 

She couldn’t remember ever really speaking to the Quidditch player before, certainly not without the buffer of Harry to bridge the gap, so the emotion in her voice caught the young Gryffindor by surprise. 

The blush that had been cooling in her cheeks flared to life again, she brought a hand up to run through her hair and noticed how close they were still standing when the back of her hand brushed along a strong, jumper clad arm. Swallowing nervously she shuffled back half a pace, nothing good had come from being so close to the witches of this school recently.

“I’m fine, just had something I needed to do.”

Nodding absently the taller girl pushed forward to invade her space again, the scent of her perfume, something light and floral, assaulting Hermione as she struggled to breath normally. The wolfish grin still wrested on her face and a mischievous gleam had appeared in her dark eyes.

“I’m glad… that you’re okay, that is. That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about though.”

Hermione frowned, a sigh building up in her chest as she prepared to be asked for ‘help’ with a homework assignment, which usually meant being asked to write a homework assignment. Angelina hadn’t been one to ever slack off, so far as she knew, so it was unexpected from the sixth year, but Hermione was used to people only wanting her attention in so far as they could exploit her.

So when the Quidditch took her hand and asked, bold as brass, right there in the common room, if Hermione would ‘do her the honor of accompanying her to the Yule Ball’ she could be forgiven for being taken by surprise.

And later, she would consider that it was both understandable and unsurprising that she had fainted then and there, collapsing suddenly against the chest of a very startled Gryffindor chaser, though maybe a little less forgivable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing this chapter, and hopefully no one hates me now. 
> 
> Let me know what you think, if I should change anything, if I should include anything in the next chapter. I really don't know where I'm going with this, but it should be a fun journey at least.
> 
> Thanks, WK7

**Author's Note:**

> A lot shorter than anything else I've written, but I'm really not sure where it's going or if it will go anywhere.
> 
> Let me know what you think and if you want to see anymore. 
> 
> Thanks, WK7


End file.
